Mental Health

America’s Mental Illness Epidemic, now only worsened by the the COVID-19 Pandemic, has long been inadequately addressed. This is especially the case for our youth: according to NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), a full 1/6 of American youth (ages 6-17) experience some form of mental illness every year despite only half seeking any form of treatment.1 NAMI further reports that half of all mental health conditions begin by age 14.1

The impacts of mental illness cannot be understated, especially among our most vulnerable. The biggest and most shocking consequence of this are suicides, being the second leading cause of death for youths aged 10-24; at tragic total of 6,488 youth died from suicide in 2019.2,3 Untreated mental illness also contributes to school absences & chronic absenteeism, social isolation, poor academic performance, actions which result in suspension, expulsion, & credit deficiencies, and results in students who are less likely to pursue higher education, among many other issues both identified and unidentified.2

It is apparent that mental illness is a systemic issue that if properly addressed could result in greater results for our youth. As such, we must advocate for and implement crucial policies recommended by experts across the fields of adolescent and teen health. These policies include:

1. Expanding access to critical staff such as Guidance Counselors, Social Workers, School Psychologists, and Nurses

  • Ensuring a minimum 250:1 student to guidance counselor ratio at each school.4
  • Ensuring a minimum 250:1 minimum student to social worker ratio at each school.4
  • Ensuring a minimum 700:1 minimum student to school psychologist/therapist ratio at each school.4
  • Ensuring a minimum 750:1 minimum student to nurse ratio at each school.4

2. Perform a universal, annual screening of mental illness for youth aged 12+

  • This is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.5
  • Screening will be performed by Guidance Counselors.
  • For students who test positive, Guidance Counselors will work to connect families with the necessary resources at school and in the community to seek help and treatment.

3. Implement a new curriculum to de-stigmatize Mental Illness

  • This curriculum is titled “Eliminating the Stigma of Difference” or ESD and has been shown to help students identify their own symptoms of mental illness and seek treatment.6
  • This curriculum is 1 week, composed of 3 modules, and takes only 3 hours to complete.6
  • ESD has been shown to be effective in a 6th grade setting, and should be included as a part of our Health education courses.6

1. https://www.nami.org/Advocacy/Policy-Priorities/Improving-Health/Mental-Health-in-Schools

2. https://www.education.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt326/files/inline-documents/mental_health_and_academic_achievement.pdf

3. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide

4. https://www.aclu.org/issues/juvenile-justice/school-prison-pipeline/cops-and-no-counselors

5. https://downloads.aap.org/AAP/PDF/periodicity_schedule.pdf

6. https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/145/6/e20190780/76921/A-School-Based-Intervention-for-Mental-Illness

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